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P 060132Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7276
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/USFJ //J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/CTF 72
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7882
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 TOKYO 002556
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA;
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST DIVISION;
TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN,
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR;
CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE MORNING PRESS HIGHLIGHTS 11/06/09
INDEX:
1) Prime Minister's daily schedule (Nikkei)
U.S.-Japan relations:
2) Okada and Campbell strive to fine tune coordination for upcoming
summit (Yomiuri)
3) Foreign Minister and Assistant Secretary of State affirm
Japan-U.S. alliance (Asahi)
4) GOJ officials under LDP administration relay to U.S. concern
about reduction in "nuclear umbrella" (Asahi)
Futenma saga:
5) Senator Inoue warns Governor Nakaima that continued delay on
Futenma issue could cause U.S. lawmakers to doubt bilateral alliance
(Mainichi)
6) Kadena mayor expresses opposition to integration idea (Nikkei)
7) U.S. urges Japan to reach Futenma decision by year's end
(Nikkei)
Afghanistan aid:
8) NATO's secretary-general asks Japan to increase financial
assistance for Afghanistan (Yomiuri)
9) Japan to earmark $7 billion in total over the next five years for
Afghan reconstruction (Mainichi)
Politics:
10) Japanese Embassy officials in Washington used MOFA's slush fund
to entertain Board of Audit of Japan delegation (Tokyo Shimbun)
11) Prime Minister adopts wait-and-see attitude toward local
suffrage for foreigners (Asahi)
12) Fukushima to participate in rally against relocation of MCAS
Futenma elsewhere in Okinawa (Nikkei)
Articles:
1) Prime Minister's Official Residence (Kantei)
Prime Minister's schedule, November 5
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 6, 2009
07:05 Met Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano and deputy chief cabinet
secretaries -- Matsuno and Matsui - at the Prime Minister's Official
Residence (Kantei).
10:15 Attended Grand Cordon award ceremony at the Imperial Palace.
11:59 Met Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Haraguchi and
Parliamentary Internal Affairs Secretary Ogawa at the Kantei.
13:00 Attended a Lower House Budget Committee session.
17:08 Met Finance Minister Fujii and Administrative Vice Finance
Minister Tango, with Hirano present. .
18:43 Met Senior Vice Foreign Minister Fukuyama, Deputy Minister for
Foreign Affairs Sasae, and Agriculture Ministry Minister's
Secretariat Director General for International Affairs Hayashida.
19:33 Met Japan Research Institute Chairman Jitsuro Terashima.
20:41 Arrived at his official residential quarters.
2) Japan, U.S. making earnest efforts to coordinate for
Hatoyama-Obama summit, seek meeting point on Futenma issue
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
TOKYO 00002556 002 OF 008
November 6, 2009
With U.S. President Barack Obama coming to Japan in one week, the
Japanese and U.S. governments are making every effort to reach
compromises on existing problems in bilateral relations, including
the question of the relocation of the U.S. Marines' Futenma Air
Station in Okinawa, to prevent them from affecting the summit
meeting.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stopped in Japan on
Nov. 5 on his way home from a visit to Myanmar (Burma) and met
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and other Japanese officials. The
Japanese side is believed to have sought his understanding on
Japan's position of giving priority to examining the process by
which the agreement to relocate the Futenma base to the coastal area
of the U.S. forces' Camp Schwab was reached and postponing a
decision until after President Obama's visit to Japan.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama still has not ruled out the
possibility of moving the Futenma base out of Okinawa, so there
remains a significant gap with the U.S. side, which demands the
implementation of the existing agreement on Futenma relocation.
However, the President is also suffering from declining support
ratings at home on such issues as sending additional troops to
Afghanistan, so he wants to avoid a situation in which the failure
of his summit meeting with an ally will further damage his
administration. It is believed that the statement of State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly at a news conference on Nov. 4 that
"the U.S. has not set any kind of deadline" for the Futenma
relocation issue was related to this concern.
Nevertheless, according to a source familiar with Japan-U.S.
diplomatic relations, Campbell reportedly told the Japanese side
that "the President will say 'the Futenma issue is very important'
at the summit meeting." It appears that "this is meant to convey a
clear message that endless procrastination is unacceptable."
Meanwhile, the Japanese side is also keen on removing friction in
Japan-U.S. relations. At his news conference on Nov. 5, Chief
Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano chose his words carefully when
discussing the Futenma issue, saying: "We are at a critical
period."
The Japanese government intends to compile an outline of aid
measures for Afghanistan before the President's visit in order to
meet U.S. expectations as much as possible. Hirano, Okada, Defense
Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, and other senior officials made final
adjustments at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Nov. 5,
and a decision will be made within this week.
3) Okada, Campbell confirm bilateral ties
ASAHI (Page 4) (Full)
November 6, 2009
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada met with visiting U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Campbell yesterday at the Foreign Ministry. Tokyo
and Washington have different views on such matters as the issue of
relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa
Prefecture. Ahead of U.S. President Obama's visit to Japan, however,
Okada and Campbell reaffirmed the rocksolid alliance between Japan
and the United States. They did not go too far into pending issues
TOKYO 00002556 003 OF 008
and tried instead to set the atmosphere for the summit meeting.
This is the third time for Campbell to visit Japan since the
Hatoyama cabinet came into office. In the meeting, Okada and
Campbell confirmed that Japan and the United States will work
together in the areas of climate change, energy issues, the war on
terror, nuclear disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation, and
assistance to Afghanistan.
Campbell sought to work toward the success of the summit meeting.
"It will be beneficial for both Japan and the United States if
preparations for the summit meeting are carried out effectively," he
said. Campbell indicated his awareness of the Futenma issue as an
"important matter," but he did not call for it to be settled before
Obama's visit to Japan. Okada agreed with Campbell and explained why
he had to forgo his planned visit to the United States. Okada had
considered visiting the United States to carry out coordination
before the presidential visit to Japan. He told Campbell that the
Diet schedule prevented him from going ahead with his plan to visit
the U.S. Campbell showed his understanding of the situation.
Campbell also met with the Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs
Bureau Director General Kazuyoshi Umemoto and Asian and Oceanian
Affairs Bureau Director General Akitaka Saiki.
4) Former U.S. secretary of defense testifies that Japanese
authorities conveyed to U.S. their concern over diminishing nuclear
umbrella during LDP-New Komeito administration
ASAHI (Page 1) (Full)
November 6, 2009
Hirotsugu Mochizuki, Washington
It has become clear that Japanese government officials under the
Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito administration expressed
concern from last year through this year to a U.S. congressional
panel that trust in the so-called nuclear umbrella, a guarantee by
the United States to retaliate with nuclear weapons in the event
Japan comes under a nuclear attack, might decrease due to nuclear
disarmament. This means Japan, which is calling for the elimination
of nuclear weapons as the only atomic-bombed country, was asking the
United States to maintain its nuclear capability at the same time.
This was revealed in an Asahi Shimbun interview with former
Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger who co-chaired the
Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United
States. The commission, established during the Bush administration
as a supra-partisan group, heard opinions of experts and others and
presented a set of proposals on nuclear policy to the Obama
administration in May this year. The administration is now
formulating a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which will serve as a
guideline for the next five to 10 years, based on those proposals,
with the aim of announcing it early next year.
Schlesinger testified that the Japanese government officials from
whom the commission heard opinions had expressed concern, asking if
the United States would continue to maintain its nuclear umbrella to
defend Japan.
According to the Japanese government, Hans Christensen of the
Federation of American Scientists, a nongovernmental organization,
TOKYO 00002556 004 OF 008
has also confirmed this fact with several commission members.
According to Christensen, the Japanese government official
classified the desired nuclear capability of the United States into
six items, including "reliability" and "flexibility," and presented
documents listing specific examples, such as modernized nuclear
warheads, nuclear-powered submarines, and B-52 bombers.
The names of four individuals, including a minister at the embassy
in the U.S. were specified as the Japanese government officials at
the end of the final report produced by the commission.
The commission also proposed the establishment of a forum for close
dialogue between Japan and the United States. Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama is aiming for a nuclear-free world, while indicating that
maintaining nuclear deterrence is one idea for dealing with real
threats. Attention is focused on how the new administration is going
to handle the matter.
5) Prolonged confusion may raise doubts in Congress about Japan-U.S
alliance: U.S. senator
MAINICHI (Page 2) (Full)
November 6, 2009
Washington, Jiji
U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Appropriations, held talks with visiting Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu
Nakaima. In reference to the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine
Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, Inouye pointed out
during the talks that if the confusion continues, it may raise
doubts in Congress about the Japan-U.S. alliance. The senator
expressed his strong frustration over the Japanese government's
inconsistency on the Futenma issue. Inouye is a prominent Democrat
of Japanese descent.
6) Kadena mayor nixes base merger
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 6, 2009
The opposition Liberal Democratic Party yesterday held a joint
meeting of its foreign affairs and national defense divisions at its
headquarters, during which the LDP held a hearing with Kadena Town
Mayor Tokujitsu Miyagi from Okinawa Prefecture over Foreign Minister
Katsuya Okada's proposal to integrate the heliport functions of the
U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa
Prefecture, into the U.S. Kadena Air Base, which straddles the town
of Kadena and other municipalities. Miyagi stressed that he plans to
reject the proposal to merge the Futenma base with the Kadena base.
"There's no way I can approve of it," he said.
7) U.S. presses Japan for settlement of Futenma issue by year's end
to avoid adverse effects on deliberations on national defense
budget
NIKKEI (Page 1) (Abridged slightly)
November 6, 2009
Sachiko Deshimaru, Washington
It has become clear that the Obama administration has asked the
TOKYO 00002556 005 OF 008
Japanese government to settle the question of the relocation of the
U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station (in Ginowan, Okinawa
Prefecture) before year's end. Washington has already told Tokyo
that President Barack Obama's visit to Japan starting on Nov. 12
would not be the deadline for a settlement. At the same time, in
order to prevent the matter from adversely affecting the U.S.
congressional deliberations on the national defense budget, the U.S.
government asked the Hatoyama administration to set the year end as
the new deadline. The Japanese government will be pressed to make a
political decision before next January's mayoral election in Nago,
the relocation site for Futenma.
According to sources familiar with Japan-U.S. relations, the U.S.
government has set the year end as the deadline because it wants to
enact the Fiscal Year 2010 (October 2009 - September 2010)
Department of Defense Appropriations bill before the winter recess.
The bill includes expenses related to the relocation of 8,000 U.S.
Marine Corps from Okinawa to Guam. If there are no prospects for the
relocation of Futenma, it will contradict the explanation that the
realignment of U.S. forces in Japan is part of the same package from
the viewpoint of maintaining deterrence.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has referred to the option of settling
the Futenma issue after next January's Nago mayoral election. In the
wake of the U.S. request for a settlement within the year, the
Japanese government will be pressed to come up with a new response.
8) NATO secretary general urges Japan to boost funding for Afghan
assistance
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full)
November 6, 2009
Koya Ozaki, Brussels
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Anders
Fogh Rasmussen gave an interview to the Yomiuri Shimbun on Nov. 4.
During the interview, he painted a bleak picture of the state of
Afghan assistance, in particular in the field of training military
personnel and police officers. He said: "Understaffing is a serious
problem."
With regard to Japan's measures to support Afghanistan, Rasmussen
said, "I respect the position of not dispatching troops," indicating
his intention of not asking Japan to send Self-Defense Forces
personnel. He then pointed out that due to the reinforcement of
troops and police officers, funds were needed to pay their salaries
and to purchase new equipment. He expressed hopes that Japan will
boost its funding. "Japan can fulfill a useful role in that area,"
Rasmussen said.
He clarified that NATO will call on the Afghan government for a
fresh agreement on the prevention of political corruption. NATO also
plans to hold a meeting of cabinet-level members from concerned
countries probably before the end of the year in order to have the
Karzai government vow to make efforts to improve its government.
NATO commands the International Security Assistance Force in
Afghanistan.
9) Government plans to disburse 7 billion dollars in aid for
Afghanistan over five years
TOKYO 00002556 006 OF 008
MAINICHI (Page 3) (Excerpts)
November 6, 2009
The government yesterday compiled a package of new assistance
measures for Afghanistan. The government will disburse 5 billion
dollars over the next five years starting in fiscal 2010. With an
additional 2 billion dollars for Pakistan, Japan will disburse a
total of 7 billion dollars. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama intends to
tell U.S. President Barack Obama, who will arrive in Japan on Nov.
12, about the package during their summit meeting. Japan-U.S.
relations have been strained over the issue of relocating the U.S.
Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, Okinawa
Prefecture. Under these circumstances, the government aims to
underscore to the President, who has been troubled over the security
situation in Afghanistan, its eagerness to offer contributions.
The package includes measures to provide vocational training for
former soldiers of the anti-government Taliban; continue to pay half
of the salaries of about 80,000 police officers; provide training
for police officers; and develop the Kabul metropolitan area. The
government also plans to take measures to strengthen the security of
the border with Pakistan, which has become a strong foothold for the
Taliban. The Hatoyama government was trying to come up with manpower
contribution measures to replace the ongoing Maritime Self-Defense
Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, but it decided to
depend on "checkbook diplomacy" due to the deteriorating security
situation in Afghanistan.
10) Disclosed MOFA files show discretionary funds used for dinner of
minister, officials of Japanese Embassy in U.S. and Japanese Board
of Audit officials in 2000
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Top play) (Full)
November 6, 2009
It was learned on Nov. 5 from copies of government files obtained by
the NPO "Citizens' Center for Information Disclosure" (in Shinjuku
Ward, Tokyo) that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) used its
discretionary funds (so-called secret funds) to pay for a dinner for
a minister and other officials at the Japanese embassy in the U.S.
with the president and other officials of the Japanese Board of
Audit during their visit to the U.S. in January 2000.
According to the disclosed documents, four Board of Audit officials,
including the president, had dinner with the minister and three
other Japanese Embassy officials. The dinner, which was recorded as
an "exchange of views on the situation of the U.S. General
Accounting Office," cost 588 dollars (approximately 62,000 yen at
2000 exchange rates). A payment request was made and the bill was
paid out of the discretionary funds on Feb. 7.
Responding to reporters' queries, the Board of Audit explained: "The
purpose of the visit to the U.S. was to participate in an
international meeting of responsible officials of audit agencies. We
are looking into the details, but dinner parties during an audit are
prohibited, in principle, for security reasons." MOFA explained:
"The gathering was for the purpose of preparing for meetings with
U.S. officials, and this is part of diplomatic activities that are
not made public." Both the Board of Audit and MOFA denied that the
dinner compromised the impartiality of the audit.
However, the Citizens' Center took issue with this, saying it was
TOKYO 00002556 007 OF 008
"clearly an unauthorized expenditure." Before this dinner in
question, Board of Audit officials had been found to have been
entertained by administration agencies they were due to audit in
several cases of "kankan settai (wining and dining of bureaucrats by
other bureaucrats using public funds)." They are likely to be
criticized at least for indiscretion in this case.
The Citizens' Center requested the disclosure of MOFA files related
to the discretionary funds in April 2001. The request was denied, so
the group appealed to the Tokyo District Court. (Later) the Tokyo
High Court ordered the partial release of documents, but the Supreme
Court rejected in February 2009 a suit for the release of all
documents. The verdict of the Tokyo High Court on the disclosure of
certain documents on dining expenses involving Japanese citizens
became final. MOFA disclosed 953 documents on Oct. 16.
An analysis of these documents shows that in addition to the case in
question, discretionary funds were used to cover Japanese Embassy
officials' dinners with MOFA officials and Diet members visiting the
U.S. on 23 occasions in February and March 2000.
11) Hatoyama to carefully watch development of discussions on local
voting rights for permanent foreign residents, use of separate
surnames by married couples
ASAHI (Page 4) (Excerpts)
November 6, 2009
In a meeting of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee
yesterday, Liberal Democratic Party members Hirofumi Shimomura and
Akemi Inada, who are both known as outspoken hawks, took the floor
as questioners and asked Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for his views
on the issues of local voting rights for permanent foreign residents
and the use of separate surnames by married couples. On these
issues, views are also divided in the Democratic Party of Japan
(DPJ), so Hatoyama exercised caution in his replies.
Inada cited that Hatoyama indicated his eagerness to extend local
voting rights to permanent foreign residents on an Internet video
site in April when he was secretary general of the party by saying:
"It is not correct to think that the Japanese Islands belong
exclusively to the Japanese people." Inada asked: "Is the prime
minister's willingness to give local voting rights to permanent
foreign residents a result of your fraternity politics?"
Hatoyama said in his reply: "I would like to consider the issue of
local voting rights for foreign residents in a positive manner" and
"I think that unless Japan is made more open, it might be extremely
difficult to resolve many difficult issues facing this country." But
he also indicated he would carefully watch the development of future
discussions on this issue, saying: "I do not mean that I plan to
force the issue."
Inada asked for Hatoyama's view about the issue of using separate
surnames by married couples. Hatoyama indicated a prudent view,
saying: "Some point out that the ties (among family members) might
become looser. I think it is important to deepen national debate,
and I wonder if it is proper to force the issue."
12) Fukushima to participate in rally against Futenma relocation in
Okinawa
TOKYO 00002556 008 OF 008
NIKKEI (Page 2) (Full)
November 6, 2009
State Minister for Consumer Affairs and Declining Birthrate Mizuho
Fukushima, who heads the Social Democratic Party, one of the ruling
Democratic Party of Japan's two coalition partners, will participate
in a rally to be held Nov. 8 in Okinawa Prefecture against the
planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station
within the prefecture, sources said yesterday. Fukushima will not
speak at the rally. She explained that she is going to be there as
her party's head. However, the relocation of Futenma airfield has
become an issue pending between Japan and the United States, with
U.S. President Obama's visit to Japan close at hand. Her
participation in the rally could further becloud the issue.
ROOS